


Trust

by Demerite



Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Coming Out, Gen unless you squint, M/M, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-25
Updated: 2015-05-25
Packaged: 2018-04-01 03:57:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4004968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Demerite/pseuds/Demerite
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clint has something to tell the rest of the team.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Trust

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry, this is trash, I am trash, please don't be mean to me.

Today was the day. Not by choice. Clint hadn't wanted there ever to be a 'day' for this, he hadn't wanted to tell the other Avengers about it, but Natasha had been firm.

"They're your team." She'd pointed out, her fingers carding gently through his hair, "They deserve to know, and the longer you put it off, the more upset they'll be. Especially Cap. You know he'll take it as a sign of betrayal."

"You're being manipulative." He'd told her, but he didn't move away from her hands. He sighed heavily, "I really have to tell them, don't I?"

"I think that you should." Natasha responded, her voice gentle, "They'll find out eventually either way. Better it be on your terms."

"I hate it when you make sense." He grumbled, smushing his face into her stomach.

"I know." Natasha murmured back.

And now here he is, standing in the kitchen of all places, because everyone's there, even though it’s like lunchtime and he’s got everyone’s attention on him and he doesn't know how to begin. He’s rehearsed it in front of the mirror a dozen times, but in front of his teammates, the words stick in his throat. Natasha is sitting on the bench behind him, he can almost sense her there. Steve in leaning against the doorframe, arms folded over his chest. Tony is slumped in the corner of the bench, holding the largest coffee mug Clint’s ever seen, looking ruffled and half-asleep. Thor is poking at the toaster, trying to rescue his toast. Bruce is sitting at the bench, perched on a barstool, with a cup of tea at his elbow and a scientific journal spread out in front of him. 

Clint takes a deep breath, and clears his throat. Everyone turns to look at him, the noise of Tony grumbling sleepily and Thor prodding the toaster subsiding. 

“I uh, I have something to say to you all.” He says, and Steve frowns at him, a line appearing between his brows. 

“Is everything alright?” He asks. 

Clint nods, “This isn’t a bad thing.” He says quickly, “It’s just something I need to get off my chest.” 

Steve nods, seemingly satisfied that Clint is alright, and Clint is oddly touched about his concern, and for a moment he forgets that he’s supposed to be utterly terrified right about now. 

“I just….I should have told you all a while ago.” Clint says, and he’s floundering, he knows he is. but he just can’t say it. He likes what they have here, damnit, he doesn’t want to have it all ruined because of this. 

Then the other door into the kitchen opens, and Phil slips inside, Suit crisp and neat, a stack of folders under one arm, and Clint catches his eye. Phil smiles at him, and suddenly Clint knows that he can do this after all. 

“I….I’m trans.” He manages to say, and Natasha reaches forward to grip his shoulder in one hand. The kitchen erupts in noise, a clamour of questions, and Clint is overwhelmed for a moment. 

“Hey!” Natasha shouts over his head, and instantly everything calms down. They’d all learnt quickly what Clint has known for years - if Natasha shouts at you, you shut up and listen. “One at a time.” She insists. 

Thor is making confused faces, “What does this mean?” he asks.

“I’ll explain.” Natasha slips down off the counter, and Clint is about to tell her not to go, that he can’t do this on his own, when Phil gives him another look, a small, proud smile, and Clint smiles back, nodding to Natasha she she can in fact go and deal with Thor. 

“Any questions?” Clint asks, trying not to sound defeated, because he’d given up explaining this a while ago, and he’s forgotten just how many questions he’s likely to have fired at him. 

“Why didn’t you tell us earlier?” Steve asks. Clint is braced for him to sound hurt or accusatory, but instead he just sounds curious. 

“Wasn’t sure how you’d react.” Clint says, “Not everyone is nice about it.” 

Steve nods. “How long have you been….?” He trails off, unsure. 

“Trans? Most of my life. Since people started trying to call me female.” Clint wrinkles his nose. He still isn’t entirely comfortable applying that word to himself in any context. “I realised that didn’t fit me. This does.” 

Stark honest to god has his hand up, and Clint wants to a laugh a little at that. “Yeah?” he asks. 

“You wear a binder?” Tony wants to know. 

“Yeah.” Clint replies. 

“How long have you been wearing it for today?” Tony asks, but he doesn’t give Clint a chance to reply, just continuing on with, “Because if it’s been more than eight hours, I _will_ kick your ass.” 

The kitchen falls silent. Steve is giving Tony a look that speaks volumes about how inappropriate he thinks Tony’s comment was, but then Clint bursts out laughing, and the tension drops in the room. 

“Do you think I’d let him do that?” Coulson asks from the back of the room, and Tony jumps violently, narrowly missing spilling coffee over himself. 

“So you’re all okay with it?” Clint questions, “With me?” 

He looks around the kitchen. Everyone is nodding a smiling. 

“I think you are brave.” Thor says from the corner, Natasha now leaning aginst the wall at his side, his voice a steady rumble, “To trust this to us.” 

“You’re my team.” Clint replies, “I realised that lying to you all was a really shit thing to do, and that I had to stop.” 

Steve nods, seeming to accept this. “Thank-you.” He says, “For trusting us with this.” 

There are nods and noises of agreements all around. 

“Right.” Tony says, “This calls for a celebration.” 

“Tony…” Steve cautions, and Tony waves a hand at him. 

“Annnnnnd by celebration I totally mean ‘let’s get takeout and marathon some movies,’ I know what happens when we all go out.” 

“Paperwork.” Coulson mutters, “So much paperwork.” 

“Exactly.” Tony nods, “So Hawkass, Chinese or Thai?” 

Clint laughs, “Pizza.” He says, grinning broadly. 

"Pizza's good." Tony says, "I can work with pizza." 

Everyone chimes in about what toppings they should get, and how many pizzas is too many. Clint leans against the bench, letting out a sigh, the tension draining out of him. His secret's out. He came out to his team and the world didn't end, and even better, no-one asked him to leave the team or looked at him with the disgust, mistrust or open hatred he's used to. 

He jumps slightly when a hand lands on the back of his neck, strong and reassuring. He looks up to find Phil smiling at him, and he smiles back. 

_Yeah_ , he thinks, _Natasha was right all along._


End file.
